


WHEN CUPIGS FLY / YEAR OF CUPIG

by TheNatureKing



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Anal Sex, Compulsion, Cupid Kai, Cupid Kyungsoo, Cupids, Eventual Happy Ending, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fuckbuddies, Love, M/M, Magic School, Romance, Smut, Suggestive Themes, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:20:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22709899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNatureKing/pseuds/TheNatureKing
Summary: Kyungsoo can't accept the fact that he fell for another Cupid's charms; so, in order to restore his pride, he hatches a plan to make Jongin fall in love with him before ultimately breaking his heart. Oh, what could go wrong?Happy Valentine's Day!
Relationships: Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongin | Kai
Comments: 11
Kudos: 45





	1. Charmed.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written like exactly a year ago in 2019, hence the 'When Cupigs Fly' / 'Year of Cupig' was so much more befitting lmfaoooo Now....here we are...finally dusting this thang off...
> 
> I would like to especially point out that due to the nature of the Cupids's charm abilities, there is a constant theme of compulsion and light manipulation of freewill, though I have tried to make a conscious effort to downplay the potential problematic aspect of it (for now) If you, however, are uncomfortable about reading anything remotely related, I recommend not reading at all. :)
> 
> This is estimated to be around 20K-25K (maybe 30K MAX omg) so do not expect a long piece!
> 
> Lastly, for ref, i am using kkb jongin x lucky one kyungsoo hehe

###  **♥**

They were just entering the final leg of it all—”it all” being sex, that is—by the time Kyungsoo had figured out what that odd, yet so very familiar tingling sensation was that he had been feeling ever since Jongin had first kissed him. If he could concentrate, he would discern that the tingling had actually started way before, when he’d first seen Jongin’s pictures, before he had first decided to swipe right. If he were in that right state of mind, he would have been able to see through Jongin’s pretty face and sexy body for the person he truly was.

Only now, with his knees digging into his chest the harder Jongin pressed down, the harder Jongin rammed into him, did it dawn on him.

Only now did he get it.

He understood.

“Oh, my God… You’re a cupid.” Kyungsoo thinks Jongin stops thrusting because of his abrupt revelation, but he just changes their positions to go at it a deeper angle. . “You’re a freaking cupid!” The realization is, again, lost in between moans, but the shock is evident enough on his face that Jongin freezes mid-stroke.

Kyungsoo almost feels insulted when Jongin hooks his legs over his shoulders instead of responding.

“I know you heard me,” Kyungsoo grits out as Jongin starts up again. He cracks a knowing smile, and starts pistoning his hips again, temporarily short-circuiting Kyungsoo’s brain. “Y-you cocky… son of—”

“Yeah?” Jongin grunts, slowing down to a grind as Kyungsoo recovers from his orgasm. He wiggles a little, a reminder that he is still hard inside of him, and Kyungsoo whines for him to hurry up and finish. “My pleasure.”

It doesn’t take much longer for Jongin to come, but each second of it is torturous overstimulation for Kyungsoo. Jongin manages to make him hard again, and they come at the same time in a cacophony of lewd moans.

Jongin flops down next to Kyungsoo and they get lost in the bumpiness of the ceiling as they catch their breaths.

“You’re a—”

“Yes—a Cupid—don’t wear it out” Jongin laughs softly, throwing his arm over his face.

“You charmed me, didn’t you?”

“And what if I did?”

Kyungsoo pushes himself up, ignoring his sticky torso and leaking hole to mean mug the naked body next to him. “You charmed your pictures, too. That’s why—that’s the only reason I—”

“Please, you would have swiped right on me regardless,” Jongin muses, revealing that irritatingly smug smile of his. He just knew he was sexy, and with as many times as Kyungsoo’s had gotten stuck on some tantalizing part of his body, he couldn’t deny it. “I take it you’re a Cupid, too, then?”

Kyungsoo pushes himself from the bed and trudges to the bathroom. “One hundred percent, but I don’t practice. It’s wrong.” The acoustics project his voice loud and clear, and Jongin scoffs hearing it.

“Oh, so you’re one of _those_ Cupids.” Jongin watches Kyungsoo wipe his torso and in between his legs, lips curling upwards when he hears Kyungsoo grumble something about _coming inside_.

“What does that mean?” Kyungsoo starts the shower and waits for it to warm. “If you’re referring to me having enough respect _not_ to charm another Cupid or me having morals, then I guess _I am_ one of _those_ Cupids.” He steps in and closes the curtains just as Jongin appears in the doorway.

“Yeah, _those_ kinds. The boring ones.”

“ _Boring_ [MD1] _?_ ” Kyungsoo’s incoherent muttering is drowned out by the sound of Jongin pissing. “If me not wanting to manipulate people makes me boring then…”

The toilet flushes. “Then…?”

“I don’t know,” Kyungsoo snorts, “but all I know is there is a Cupid’s Honor Code for a reason!” His dainty hand snatches the water bottle from the edge of the tub, and Jongin holds back a laugh and an apology.

“So, you mean to tell me that there wasn’t a time in your life where you just... charmed to get what you want?” Jongin can’t see Kyungsoo freeze behind the curtain, all he hears is a lapse in the bottle crinkling. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Well, of course I have when I was younger, dumber and naive and didn’t know any better.” Kyungsoo pushes himself through the wave of sadness that settles over him. “ _But_ , I never charmed another Cupid, I’ve obviously grown and learned since then and became a better person.” He turns off the shower and wraps himself with the towel before getting out. Jongin stares at him strangely.

“What?”

“You know it’s like… part of our DNA? Our ability to charm people. It’s there to be used.”

“Oh, God, first of all, that ‘people’ shouldn’t include other Cupids and second of all, please don’t tell me you’re one of those Cupids who think _that_ .” Kyungsoo brushes past him with widened eyes, stopping by his drawer to pull out underwear and a t-shirt. “The whole ‘ _We are the superior race,’_ mumbo jumbo’” The person Kyungsoo imitates is the previous dean of Charm School, but he’s sure Jongin doesn’t get that reference even though he laughs anyway. He steps into his briefs and lets the towel pool around his waist as he sits on his bed to apply lotion.

“No, that isn’t what I meant. I don’t believe that, either,” Jongin says, scooping his underwear up with his foot, figuring he should get dressed, too. “Though it’s just like telling a bird not to fly and to walk with their legs, instead. You’re limiting their potential with an unfair judging scale.”

Kyungsoo sighs, swirling a dab of lotion into his knee. “God, why do you sound like my dad. This is terrible.”

“He sounds like a smart guy.” Jongin smiles and squeezes into his jeans.

“He is smart. He’s a professor.” Kyungsoo stares at how the pants deceptively make it seem like Jongin has an ass. He wonders how he’d look wearing them. “But the pursuit of knowledge shouldn’t trump humanity,” he adds.

Jongin pauses. “Wait. Does he teach at Charm School?”

Kyungsoo nods. Then he asks, “You mean to tell me they admitted someone like _you_?”

“Ha. Ha. What’s your last name?”

“Doh.”

Jongin’s face lights up, and he claps eagerly. “He’s a good professor! Wow, you’re lucky to have him as a father.” Jongin gets stuck putting his shirt on. “How does a cool Cupid like him end up with a jaded Cupid like you as a son?”

Kyungsoo huffs. “Wow. I’m not even that surprised you like him considering your moral compass is facing hell.”

“Hell? Really?” Jongin crosses his well-toned arms while Kyungsoo flutters his eyelashes prettily. “Over a little charming? For charming _you?_ ”

“Yes. _Especially._ ” 

“A bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think? Are you really that upset?”

“Maybe.” Kyungsoo’s shirt is a size larger, exposing his collar bones and flowing at his thighs. He stands and he and Jongin have a mini staredown. “I’m not upset we fucked—or specifically, I’m not upset I decided to sleep with you— _but_ you should know that there are repercussions to charming another _Cupid_ , let alone people, and that one day, if you charm the wrong Cupid, they’re going to come back and bite you in the ass.”

Jongin raises a brow and gives him a once-over, his gaze lingering on Kyungsoo’s sweet thighs before their eyes meet again. He cracks a smile. “I’d love for you to eat my ass next time.”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and leads him out of the room to the door, Jongin falling behind a few paces to stare at his ass. He’s shameless with it, too, shaking his head and running his tongue over his bottom lip when Kyungsoo turns around.

“You know,” Jongin starts as he puts on his shoes, ‘accidentally’ leaning into Kyungsoo’s personal bubble when he loses his balance, “you would make a _great_ Cupid—that is, if you still practiced. Shame, you might not even have to resort to hookup apps to find a guy.”

There that annoying smirk was again.

Kyungsoo smiles, too, though, his is perfectly pretty. “Jongin—was it? Remember that ‘wrong Cupid’ I mentioned a minute ago? I was talking about myself; _I’m_ the wrong Cupid, and you’re testing my patience now.”

“Oh, I’m so scared, little guy,” Jongin teased, turning his charm up on max.

Kyungsoo made sure to hit him with the door on his way out. He would pay for that, for sure.

###  **♥**

Charm School, the finest private education institution for Cupids. Home of the Flying Pigs. An environment where Cupids could be _taught_ on how to _better_ charm people. Disgusting. It is the epitome of everything Kyungsoo despites, and not surprisingly, he hates it here.

In and out.

Just be in and out.

Make this quick.

Kyungsoo wears his distaste on his face like a mask as he walks fast through the pink-tiled and red-bricked corridors. He smiles at absolutely no one and is grateful for the ones that stray clear out of his path. He keeps his eyes focused on his space in front of him, away from the banners with winged pigs that lined the walls. He feels constipated, and probably looks it, too. The school always had that effect on him.

It was almost ironic in a way.

He finds the door of his father’s office is wide open, welcoming as per usual. Kyungsoo knocks on the door twice before strolling inside and plopping himself down on the worn-out leather couch stained with coffee and ink marks. Kyungsoo presses his nose into the arm of the couch, a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips when the smell of maple is still there.

“You’re the reason people think they can eat food in my office, you know that, right?” His dad points at him with the edge of the book he had been holding, before turning and putting it back in his place on the bookshelf. Piles of books are dotted the floor around and the top of his desk; almost none are on the shelf. Was he rearranging again? Kyungsoo smiles and sniffs the arm again. He was nine when his carton of syrup had fallen off his tray and coated the couch sticky, and although the stain faded, they could never get the smell to go away. “So, what brings you here today, son?”

An arrogant smile flashes in Kyungsoo’s mind and he swings his legs to the ground, standing up abruptly. “Dad, what are you teaching these Cupids these days? They're so—disrespectful!”

His father huffs out a laugh. “You sure you’re actually twenty-three, son?” He gestures for Kyungsoo to help him. “Which one wronged you this time?” he asks, amused.

“One of the students _you_ taught did!” Kyungsoo shoves the books in the shelves, his father’s frown growing deeper with each _thud_ . “He _charmed_ me. Can you believe that? Even after he knew I was a Cupid, he _still_ charmed me. What a slap to the face!”

“Wow, son, that’s—”

“Don’t you teach Cupids that they aren’t supposed to charm _other_ Cupids? Isn’t that one of the purposes of Charm School? To _educate_ Cupids so they can use their abilities responsibly? To teach them some damn etiquette?” While Kyungsoo rants, his father carefully takes each of the books Kyungsoo’s raises to place, nodding or humming occasionally as to not break his son’s trance. “It honestly should be illegal to charm another Cupid, and I kind of mean that.”

His father snorts but pretends he hadn’t when Kyungsoo glares at him. “Son, _please_. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.”

Kyungsoo frowns. “What? What does that mean… in this situation?”

His father slides the books into the shelves gently. “It means you can teach them etiquette and how to behave responsibility, but it’s up for them to decide if they want to follow those teachings.”

“ _Which_ is exactly why there needs to be some type of law in place!” Kyungsoo grumbles, throwing himself down on the couch again. The other arm only smells like must. Gross. “For the ones who think they can do whatever they want. The Cupid’s Honor Code only worked in the past when the spread of information wasn’t instant. It’s not consistent with today’s society. It needs to be modernized.”

“Your passion for this type of thing makes me wonder why you ever dropped out, Kyungsoo.”

“Dad—”

“I know, I know, I’m not supposed to talk about it, I know.” After his dad completes the row, he joins his son on the couch. “Let’s say _there is_ a law that punishes Cupids for charming other Cupids, how do you go about enforcing it? Flimsy hearsay reports? _Oh, this guy charmed me? What’s my proof? Well, he did it, so…._ ” Kyungsoo sucks in his cheeks. “And then what do you do to all the celebrity Cupids who are charming people almost constantly? Their pictures are charmed. Their videos are charmed. Their music and movies are charmed. Even their books are charmed. What then? What do you do if another Cupid enjoys that content and isn’t skilled enough to detect they’re being charmed?”

“Okay, I get it. It’s impossible, but still.” Kyungsoo rolls his head back and glares at the stupid, discolored ceiling. His father chuckles and pats his leg before getting up. “This is why Cupids suck.”

“Don’t forget you’re a Cupid, too, son.”

“Not by choice.”

“Well, you do have a choice,” his father says as he gathers papers together on his desk, “to be a Cupid who rejects his DNA, and snips his wings; or to be a Cupid that gives in to the beauty of their gifts, and soars like they were born to do.”

Kyungsoo groans. If he had to hear another Cupid-Flight analogy he was going to lose it. “You’re not becoming a Cupid Supremacist, are you? You sound like you’re becoming a Cupid Supremacist. _Yuck_.”

With a heavy sigh, his dad answers, “The more I teach, the more I start to feel like I am.” He grabs his briefcase and stops by the door. “Are you sleeping in here or attending class with me? It has been a while, plus today’s discussion will be interesting,” he winks.

Kyungsoo complains throughout the whole three-minute walk, with his father nodding and humming accordingly. He was used to this routine. If it wasn’t Kyungsoo complaining about the amoral natures of Cupids, it was his wife lecturing _him_ on the altruistic duty of Cupids. They were a family that liked to hear themselves speak, that much was apparent.

In the lecture room, Kyungsoo leans against the podium rambling on about Cupid’s civic duty versus boundaries while his dad works at setting up his computer to the projector. All the while, students trickle in the double doors, filling up the first three rows of the lecture hall, built to hold an entire graduating class.

“What course is this?” Kyungsoo asks after doing a quick head count. No more than thirty. It had to have been an advanced one.

“ _To Charm or Not to Charm: Ethical Inquiries with Professor Doh._ ” The voice that answers him is familiar in that shoulder-dropping—not jaw-dropping—kind of way. “I didn’t know it was Bring Your Child to Work Day, Professor Doh.”

His dad greets Jongin with a proud smile. “He usually never comes to visit me during the day.”

Jongin crosses his arms and smirks. “I wonder what the occasion was.”

His dad glances between them and frowns. “Oh… but how did you know he was my—do you two know each other?”

Kyungsoo says, “No,” just as Jongin says, “Yeah.”

Kyungsoo starts, “No, he’s mistaken,” and Jongin interrupts with, “We met this weekend actually.”

His dad nods his head slowly. “O-okay.”

Kyungsoo breaks his staring contest with Jongin to turn towards his dad. “I thought you only taught the best and the brightest.”

“Mr. Kim here _is_ one of the brightest, Kyungsoo,” his dad says. Kyungsoo stares back at Jongin in disbelief.

“ _He is?_ Oh, God, this school is worse off than I thought.”

Before Jongin can retort, Kyungsoo’s dad dims the lights, signaling the beginning of class. “Kyungsoo, you’re welcome to stand up here awkwardly with me or have a seat. Feel free to participate in the discussion.”

“Ooh! You can sit by me, _Kyungsoo_. Here’s an open seat!” Jongin waves his hand wildly from the front row, earning some giggles from his classmates

Kyungsoo chooses a seat in the third row where he’s higher up, but curses under his breath when he realizes that at this angle, Jongin can turn around and see him just as easily. Jongin blows him a kiss.

His dad claps. “Alright, let’s begin.”

His dad is right about today’s discussion being interesting. Kyungsoo’s presence somehow makes it livelier, too.

Initially, he commits himself to just observing what the latest generation of Cupids’ thoughts are, but hearing Jongin’s points and seeing how the majority of the class seemed to agree with him without a spare thought of their own is where Kyungsoo has to draw the line. The first time he speaks, it is to counter Jongin’s claims. He’s pleased to see some of the faces of the students changing, and absolutely delighted to see Jongin’s fall. From there it escalates from a class discussion to a passionate debate between Jongin and Kyungsoo with the students simply choosing sides and nodding along. Although his father would have preferred more members of the class to participate, he’s thankful Kyungsoo’s and Jongin’s feud are able to engage them more and really get them thinking critically about the issues at hand.

When his dad ends class, it’s apparent that the students are leaving in better spirits than which they came. Kyungsoo joins his father at the podium only for him to announce that he has a meeting to go to.

“But what about—”

“So, Jongin was the Cupid who charmed you?” His dad whispers. The Cupid-in-question is still in the front row, chatting it up with some girl. Kyungsoo crinkles his nose and nods. “Well, son, Jongin’s a talented Cupid, but even so, I know you’re far more skilled.”

“I _am_ more skilled, Dad. What are you getting at?”

“I’m saying if you’re as tired of talking yourself in circles as I am being talked to death, then you’ll grab your quilt and arrows and 1-up him. Look, Jongin’s bright, but that can also be his downfall. Hurt his ego like he’s clearly hurt yours then go write a book or something.” His dad pats him on the shoulder before he dips, leaving Kyungsoo standing there confused.

1-Up him?

_1-Up Jongin?_

_How?_

Charm _him_ into having sex again?

But that would only be matching him.

Kyungsoo glances over his shoulder at Jongin. The girl he talks to twirls her hair with her finger while he shifts his weight back and forth. Her hair play is a basic charming tactic; however, Jongin’s gentle rocking is more subtle, and by the lackadaisical smile forming on her face, he clearly has her beat. Kyungsoo wonders if she even knows she’s already lost.

Though, what really throws Kyungsoo off is just how content they are with charming _each other_. Two cupids. Having a charm—off. It just doesn’t make any sense. You don’t charm other Cupids! What is so hard to understand about that? What if the Cupid has a weak resistance and falls in love from the charming? Then what? Who will take responsibility for a Cupid’s broken heart? There isn’t a bigger pain than that—

_Aha!_

Wait.

No. That would be wrong.

 _But_ …

No!

Kyungsoo slaps his cheeks a couple times, trying to force the idea away.

_Okay, but what if—_

Stop!

Kyungsoo drops his arms when Jongin sends a strange look his way. It only lasts a second before he’s turned his attention back to the girl, the beginnings of that ugly smirk developing.

_Oh, screw it._

Kyungsoo will do it. He will do it. He will really, honestly do it.

Kyungsoo turns his charm on and strolls up to Jongin, hooking their arms around. “You can go away now,” he says sweetly. “His boyfriend’s here now.”

“My _what?_ ” Jongin tries unhooking his arm, but Kyungsoo’s hold is solid. The girl snaps out of her reverie and scowls at Kyungsoo, packing up her things and leaving quickly. Jongin finally shakes Kyungsoo off when he catches his bearings. “What the hell?”

Kyungsoo’s smile is perfectly pretty. “Shame, if you were a better Cupid, you might have gotten her number. _”_


	2. THE ENIGMA THAT IS KYUNGSOO.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyungsoo looks up from the wall he’s perched on and smiles when he sees Jongin nearing. Something is off, Jongin thinks. Something is wrong.

Jongin grounds the heels of his palms into his eyes because the speck in his vision won’t go away. He must be seeing things. He _has_ to be seeing things. Kyungsoo looks up from the wall he’s perched on and smiles when he sees Jongin nearing. Something is off, Jongin thinks. Something is wrong.

Kyungsoo holds out one of the cup’s he’s holding, and Jongin takes it wearily. The label reads, _Hot Chocolate, Extra_ Whip _._ The “extra” is nowhere to be found, but Jongin suspects the murkiness of the broth is the culprit. Just how long had he been waiting here?

“How was class?”

“What do you want?” Jongin asks, abruptly, wasting no energy in beating around the bush. Yesterday was weird, but that was yesterday. Today was… today. A _new_ day. 

Kyungsoo ignores his question, still smiling _prettily_. “Was it hard to stay awake? I was just grabbing an order for my dad when I thought you might need to pick me up, so I got you something. Sorry—the whip’s already melted. I didn’t expect it would take so long for your class to end.”

Jongin quirks a brow at that for various reasons. “You know my schedule?” 

Kyungsoo blinks, almost as if realizing something, before shaking his head. “N-no, not exactly.” He looks down while he sips at the remnants of his own drink. A smoothie. Strawberry pink like the color of his cheeks… and his sparkling lips. Is that gloss?

Frowning, Jongin ignores the half-answer and sniffs the beverage, and his stomach purrs in want. He’d woken up late this morning and had to skip breakfast; an 8-10 on an empty stomach was hell. Even if Kyungsoo had poisoned his favorite drink, his stomach would be grateful for anything at this point. Jongin raises it to his lips tentatively, but backs out under Kyungsoo’s careful watch. 

“I need some real food,” Jongin says, straightening.

“Oh, I see,” Kyungsoo nods. After a good second, he adds, “Do you want to—I dunno—grab something to eat?”

“Uh…” Jongin hesitates, caught off guard by those wide eyes peering up at him. Who _is_ this guy? All small-looking, buried in an oversized sweater and beanie of a matching color. This is _not_ the Kyungsoo who had wanted to beat him up yesterday, and this is certainly _not_ the Kyungsoo he had fucked over the weekend.

“You don’t have to force yourself,” Kyungsoo starts, eyes falling from Jongin’s own to his chest instead, “I know I’m probably the last person you’d want to eat with…” Kyungsoo smiles up at him again, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. It barely reaches his cheeks. “Sorry for bothering you.” He bows before turning on his heel, stooping to unplug his phone and charger from the wall. Had he really been waiting for a long time? But why?

“Wait—Er, uh, okay. Yeah.” Jongin steels himself to continue when Kyungsoo glances over his shoulder cutely. “Let’s get lunch. The cafeteria should be open, I think.”

The difference between Kyungsoo walking alongside him yesterday and Kyungsoo walks alongside him today has Jongin’s confusion skyrocketing with each step. There are no obnoxious declarations of him being taken to scare away his friends. No intentional shoulder checks. No… general annoyance.

Something is terribly wrong.

Lunch with Kyungsoo is surprisingly pleasant. The conversation flows. Kyungsoo laughs at Jongin’s corny jokes and cracks a few of his own—his are funnier, but Jongin masks his hurt pride with hard laughter. He doesn’t expect Kyungsoo to talk so freely about his personal life, but he has no problems sharing why he isn’t in school anymore. The reasoning isn’t all that shocking, all things considered—Kyungsoo had stopped believing in the system, simply put. But Jongin is amazed to find out that Kyungsoo belongs to the last generation of 16-year-old Cupids before that incident that had forced the university to raise the age requirement for enrollment at Charm School. When Jongin inquires more about that, Kyungsoo is masterful at changing the subject.

Just like the day before, they chat for hours without even realizing it. Around two, Kyungsoo claims that he still has some last errands to run, and bids Jongin farewell before waddling off.

 _Huh_.

How weird.

Jongin can’t _not_ shake how weird Kyungsoo had been today. Had he been pranking Jongin? He didn’t think so. He had checked several times throughout their conversation to see if Kyungsoo was charming him, but he never got that vibe.. Furthermore, he never even got the vibe that Kyungsoo was _faking_ it. The smiles, the laughter, the attentive reactions to Jongin’s horror stories—all of it had seemed real. All of it had _felt_ real.

Weeeird!

Maybe Kyungsoo is from a set of triplets. The one he had slept with and the one who had annoyed him yesterday were his brothers, and this is them all playing a single trick on him.

Hmmm… 

Or maybe… Kyungsoo has different alter-egos… That would explain the sudden shifts in behavior, wouldn’t it? Maybe he can ask Professor Doh about it tomorrow in class. That won’t be crossing the line, right? No, of course not. He has already _slept_ with Kyungsoo; he deserves the right to know.

Jongin tries to put the events of his afternoon far behind him as he continues about his day, but heart-shaped lips and the smile that split them plague his mind. 

The next day, Jongin arrives early to class, hoping to catch Professor Doh alone, and he’s relieved that even the overachievers in the class decided to sleep in a little longer.

“Mr. Kim.” Professor Doh acknowledges him with a smile like he usually does, though when Jongin makes a beeline towards him instead of his seat, he removes his glasses. “Did you need something, Kim?”

Jongin doesn’t know what’s the best way to go about asking if his son has multiple personalities, so he starts by saying… something a little less appropriate.

“So, I slept with your son this weekend, right?” (Professor Doh chokes on his spit.) “Which is how we knew each other,” Jongin points at Professor Doh as if he had been waiting for that clarification, “But I’ve been thinking: Your son is really… strange? In a nice way of course,” Jongin clarifies, seeing where Kyungsoo gets his unique expressions from.

“Mr. Kim—”

“Hold on; I’m not done yet. I have a question—and I apologize if this is inappropriate as I really need to know, but—is Kyungsoo a part of a triplet set? Or does your son have multiple personalities? Like, annoying-soo, nice-soo, and then horny-soo?”

Mr. Doh pinches the bridge of his nose. “Okay, there just has to be a line,” Professor Doh said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “No, Kyungsoo is an only child, and he does _not_ have multiple personalities. He’s just—Kyungsoo.” Sighing, the man gestured to the seats. “Do not ever bring up a detail of his—or your’s—private lives in front of me again. Please, go have a seat.”

Jongin apologizes with a bow and finds his regular seat quickly. Professor Doh pauses and stares at him for a beat. Then he says, “Sit in the back today, please.”

Jongin apologizes with a bow and finds his new seat quickly.

Professor Doh is clearly upset with him during the duration of class, ignoring his hand when it’s the only one raised and calling on other people as soon as Jongin begins to speak. Jongin isn’t bothered by it, though, not in the slightest. He just wants a distraction from the enigma that is Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo who can sex him into a coma and Kyungsoo who at once point probably wished he _was_ in a coma. 

Before the end of class, just when things are starting to feel normal again, Kyungsoo appears. He pokes his head in the doorway and waves at his dad enthusiastically, a bag of food in one hand while he sips a familiar liquid beverage from the other. Jongin watches him from the top row. Kyungsoo slowly cranes his gaze to the students, frowning when he sees someone else occupying Jongin’s seat in the front row. Distractedly, his eyes climb higher, searching each row, each face, until they get to the top and land on Jongin.

 _There he is_.

Jongin catches the flash of recognition in his gaze. Kyungsoo stares at him without blinking, and Jongin stares back, unwavering. What is he thinking? _Which_ Kyungsoo has come to class today? Jongin is curious.

Professor Doh ends the discussion today with a sigh and a cancellation on the homework. He’ll be attending a friend’s wedding this weekend and doesn’t want to stress over any work. The irony.

Jongin stays seated while his classmates begin to shuffle out. The girl that he had flirted with on Monday comes by, asking him if he wants to get lunch. Jongin, without sparing her so much of a glance, replies that he isn’t hungry. She takes the hint with a roll of her eyes and leaves him. Jongin’s eyes remain trained on Kyungsoo who’s watched the whole interaction with a blank expression. His face only lights up when he hands his father the food.

Jongin watches them converse, father and only son. Professor Doh, other than his height, doesn’t look much like Kyungsoo. Or rather, Kyungsoo doesn’t look much like his father. Jongin guesses that could only mean he takes after his mother’s side more. Whereas Professor Doh is stout and blocky, Kyungsoo is on the slimmer side, with more meat in all the right places. Jongin briefly wonders if Kyungsoo has trained his waist before; it looks decisively small with his tank top tucked into his skinny jeans.

Damn. What a fat ass.

Jongin shakes his head. No. Down, Dog, Down. Behave, little one..

“Mr. Kim, class has been dismissed. Nap elsewhere,” Professor Doh calls dryly as he leaves the room. Jongin looks up. Kyungsoo is standing at the front of the room, watching him. 

It’s just the two of them in this room. Alone. The doors lock, right?

“Dad changed his mind about the ham,” Kyungsoo says as he raises his sandwich, stirring him from his tempting thoughts. “Wanna share?” 

A footlong, a small bag of doritos, and a large soda shared between two goes quickly, and when the noisiness of eating disappears, there’s nothing else to sustain Jongin’s curiosity.

“Why are you acting like this?” His question almost feels parallel to the other day when he’d cornered Kyungsoo in that stairway. He almost expects Kyungsoo to react the same, to giggle and say something smart. He doesn’t.

Kyungsoo is still chewing apparently and confused, cheeks puffed out like a squirrel. He gestures for hiJongin to wait and chews faster, though with all the attention on him, he chokes on laughter. After the rest of their drink, Kyungsoo chortles, childlike. “Sorry, okay, what’d you say?”

“Why are you—?” Jongin loses his train of thought watching Kyungsoo’s tongue battle the missed sauce on his mouth.

“Why am I what?” Kyungsoo repeats, unaware of his effects. He eventually uses his thumb to wipe it.

“Nothing.” Jongin squeezes his eyes shut and slaps his cheeks. “Nevermind. What are you doing today?” The last bit just slips out naturally, but Kyungsoo, having tilted his head upwards in exaggerated thought, doesn’t seem to notice Jongin’s immediate regret.

“I don’t think I’m doing anything—Oh, wait! Just kidding!” Kyungsoo hops up suddenly, scrunching up all their trash in one small hand. “I’m meeting with some friends today. I almost forgot.” Kyungsoo tosses the trash and waves Jongin goodbye and after what feels like a whirlwind of quick activity, he’s gone. 

Jongin sits in the lecture hall in silence.

Thursday comes and goes. As Jongin strips for his shower, he thinks the day had been rather uneventful. Though, the thought serves as a shock to his system. _Uneventful?_ When had he begun to think about his regular scheduled days as _uneventful_? His rationality knows the answer, but Jongin tells it to hush, turning the shower on extra hot to distract himself.

He ends up having to turn it down when the boiling jets bite at his back.

The water provides a gentle drum on his skin, working his muscles loose and clean from the stress and grime of the day.

Kyungsoo hadn’t shown up today.

Jongin gives up on trying to supress the thoughts, and lets his mind wander freely.

Why hadn’t Kyungsoo shown up today?

Jongin sticks his head under the hose.

He’s being silly. Why would Kyungsoo show up? He only had Professor Doh’s classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, and that Tuesday had merely been a very odd coincidence.

Still, he can’t help but think why couldn’t today be a coincidence, too?

Jongin cuts his shower short at the thirty minute mark and only dries the lower half of his body before slipping into some boxers and jumping on his bed. His hard rock bed. In his dusty apartment. On the other side of town. Where the neighbors play loud rock music well into the night. 

God, he hates living here.

As drowsiness kicks in, Jongin wonders if Kyungsoo will pop up out of nowhere tomorrow. _I doubt it_ , he tries to convince himself.

###  **♥**

Kyungsoo does show up, but it isn’t how Jongin had imagined it.

He’s sitting at one of the tables in the courtyard, some guy chatting him up and making him laugh. Was Kyungso with him yesterday? The human half of Jongin says, _Yes_. The Cupid half propels him forward.

“Hey, Kyungsoo!” Jongin greets, sounding as chill as he possibly can. He doesn’t take a seat like he’d envisioned himself smoothly doing in his head and ends up awkwardly hovering. Kyungsoo glares at Baekhyun before he smiles at Jongin sweetly.

“Hey, Jongin!” After a beat, he adds. “How was class?”

Jongin masks his sigh of relief at Kyungsoo not leaving him hanging with a sigh of exasperation and takes that as the opportunity to sit down across from Kyungsoo. “It was boring,” Jongin says truthfully, thinking about how many times his professor had made the class repeat the latin and greek names of illnesses and their cures. “Never take Medicinal Roman History with Professor Bae.”

Kyungsoo reacts, thankfully, with a small chuckle. “Don’t have to tell me twice; I’m not a student here.”

He glances to his… acquaintance and engages in some silent eye communication with him. Is it an attempt at a segue to introduce him? He must be a student, too, then but Jongin’s never seen him around. Watching them stare at each other, Jongin almost feels like he’s intruding on a private conversation with the way they carry on. The stranger makes a face that Jongin can only interpret as reprimanding and Kyungsoo lets out a dejected sigh.

The stranger turns to Jongin and extends his hand. “Baekhyun, nice to meet you.” His smile is tight, Jongin notices, but he accepts and shakes.

“Jongin.”

Baekhyun stands up, gathering his things. He grabs Kyungsoo’s shoulder. _Squeezes it_ . “Well, _Jongin_ , nice meeting you, but I’ve got to run. Kyungsoo, let’s talk later, yeah?” Kyungsoo hums, touching his hand as he looks up with a perfect smile. He watches him leave before he turns his attention back to Jongin with an obvious forced innocence.

“So…?.”

Jongin raises his brows. He catches Baekhyun looking over his shoulder at them as he walks off. “Who’s that?”

“Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo says simply, eyes not leaving Jongin. “Hey,” he starts ethustiatifally before trailing off.

Jongin’s own “Hey, what?”” is on the tip of his tongue, but dies when he hears what the rest of what Kyungsoo has to say. 

“Do you want to go on a date tonight?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, kudos, comment, and subscribe! bonus points if you share and/or follow me on twt @thenatureking! hehe


	3. Oh, Eros. Oh, Amor. Oh, Cupid.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyungsoo wants to up the stakes, but perhaps he has the most to lose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY SUHO DEBUT DAY! LET'S LOVE!!

_ A date? _

_ Had he heard correctly? _

“Come again?” Jongin’s voice is high-pitched and full of disbelief and has Kyungsoo backtracking.

“No! Not a date! I meant—” Kyungsoo hides his face in his arms, groaning, “Oh my God, that is not what I meant to say.”

“Is that right?” Jongin chuckles, unable to resist the amusing strangeness of the situation. 

“Stop laughing.” 

Resting his chin on his hands, Jongin leans forward. “A date? I haven’t been on one of those in a while,” Jongin says wistfully. “I almost got excited.”

Kyungsoo raises his head slightly, those large orbs of his shining like the sun over an ocean’s horizon. “I didn’t mean ‘date’,” he says pointedly, but Jongin feels it’s more to convince himself than anything else.

“What  _ did  _ you mean then, Kyungsoo?”

“I just—” Kyungsoo buries his face again and mumbles the rest. When Jongin asks him to repeat himself, Kyungsoo sits up abruptly. The tips of his ears are red.

“I just wanted to  _ hang out _ tonight. Baekhyun kept talking about dates so that was in my head still…”

Jongin licks his lips. “ _ Right _ .”

“It’s true,” Kyungsoo says adamantly.

“Okay.”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “So?”

“So, what?”

“So… do you?”

“Do I,  _ what? _ ” Jongin asks with a smirk. “Want to go on a date with you?”

Kyungsoo narrows his eyes. “Do you want to  _ hang out _ tonight?”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Archery.”

“ _ Archery _ ? As in the official sport of Cupids?” Jongin tilts his head in careful consideration, then crosses his arms. “Sounds pretty romantic to me.”

Kyungsoo stands with a huff. “Nevermind. I’ll find somebody else.” He stalks off and Jongin dutifully follows, laughing. “Get off of me.” Kyungsoo tries shrugging the arm from around him, but Jongin’s hold is solid.

“Don’t worry, Kyungsoo. No one can resist my irresistible charms for long.”

“Shut up.”

###  **♥**

What the hell was he doing?

Kyungsoo enters full-on panic mode as Jongin leads them across the campus to his car. As Jongin is rattling about his day, Kyungsoo is pretending to be absorbed in it with nods, hums, exaggerated reactions—the occasional questioning here and there, of course—all the while he has an internal meltdown.

What the hell was he doing? The “date”-thing had really been an honest-to-Amor slip-up, and Baekhyun being the one to blame was entirely accurate.

Byun Baekhyun the Bastard. This was all his fault. Kyungsoo was never going to help again. 

“Wow, you’re alive!” Baekhyun had exclaimed upon finding his longtime friend waiting for him outside of his classroom. “And outside? And  _ here? _ ”

“I need your help.”

_ Ahh _ , Baekhyun intones. “That explains it!” He links arms with Kyungsoo and pulls him along. Lowering his voice, he says, “ _ Hi, Baekhyun! Long time no see! How are you, dear friend? _ ” Then raising it to his normal octave, “Hi, Kyungsoo! I’m great! Thanks for asking!”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “I don’t sound like that. It’s more like, ‘ _ Hey, Baekhyun, you bastard. How’s your sister? _ ’”

Baekhyun snorts. “Binnie’s lovely like always!”

Outside, it’s all blue skies with a nice breeze ushering wispy clouds above, so they somehow end up in the courtyard. Baekhyun appreciates the clear weather while Kyungsoo defends himself from pesky bugs. It is here that Kyungsoo reveals the watered down truth of his quest. 

“Wait, you actually like somebody? _You?_ For real?” Baekhyun is loud with a voice that travels, and despite Kyungsoo’s whispered instience that he speak quietly, the volume is maintained. “Is the simulation glitching or something? _Doh Kyungsoo likes somebody?_ _In this economy?”_

“Shut up, Baekhyun.”  _ No, I don’t _ , Kyungsoo wants to add, but can’t for obvious tactful reasons. “The whole world doesn’t need to know.”

Baekhyun barks out a laugh. “I dunno, Kyungsoo, maybe  _ they do _ . You haven’t liked anyone since Min—” Baekhyun forces a ridiculous cough that earns them weary looks from bypassers. “I don’t have corona!” He shouts at them. 

Kyungsoo sighs. Such a bad idea.

“But anyways, it’s just surprising, is all,” Baekyun says, sobered up. “So, who is it?”

“Kim Jongin,” Kyungsoo says through gritted teeth. Baekhyun looks off for a second in deep thought before his eyes widen. “ _Yes,_ _that one_ ,” Kyungsoo preemptively answers. It was impossible to not notice all the people that knew Jongin; and since people noticed others that were noticed by many people, it was safe to say that Jongin was well known. As if constantly being interrupted by his fans “just wanting to say hi” hadn’t already given that away. 

Baekhyun rocks back and forth on the bench seat. “Kyungsoo!  _ Him?? _ ” 

Kyungsoo suspects it might be a lot to process in the moment, until Baekhyun’s expression turns serious. 

“Damn,” Baekhyun starts, sounding solemn, “if it had to be anyone, I guess it would be him. Have you seen his—”

“Stop!” Kyungsoo interjects with a raised hand. “Focus. I didn’t tell you I liked someone so we could celebrate; I told you so we could come up with a plan.”

Baekhyun guffaws. “Kyungsoo-friend, what is wrong with you? You’re the only one who would be so… robotic about this.”

“How do I make sure he  _ like _ -likes me?” Kyungsoo asks after explaining his dilemma. He tells Baekhyun how they hooked up over the weekend, and how they ran into each other on Monday, and how Kyungsoo’s been pretty much chasing after him this week. Jongin has a lot of eager suitors, so he’s had to be vigilant, he explains. Due to time restrictions, he leaves out the part about this all being one big scheme, naturally.

“Wow, you’re so cute, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun cooes, earning himself a kick to the shin. “Ow! Okay! No need for violence.” Baekhyun rubs his foot while he glares. “Have you tried… I don’t know, asking him out on a date and seeing if he likes you back?”

Kyungsoo grimaces. Then he remembers he’s supposed to be interested. “People still do that?”

Baekhyun hoots. Or maybe he howls. “Nothing’s changed, Kyungsoo! You need to ask him on a date, so that he knows you’re interested in him that way!”

“Uh…” Kyungsoo plays with his thumbs. “Do I  _ have  _ to? Aren’t there other ways to, like, win his heart over or something?”

Baekhyun opens his mouth to say something but stops suddenly, his eyes catching onto something behind Kyungsoo. His eyes are sparkling. “Oh, speak of the devil.”

Kyungsoo swallows. “Don’t say anything to him.”

“Maybe I should.”

“Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo growls.

“Hi, Kyungsoo!” Jongin says, though Kyungsoo doesn’t greet him back until he’s glared at Baekhyun harshly enough that he’d get the point. 

“Hey, Jongin!”  _ Why the hell are you here? _ “How was class?”

Kyungsoo’s too busy mentally arguing with Baekhyun to pay perfect attention to what Jongi’s saying so he laughs awkwardly when there’s a lull in Jongin’s speech and says the obvious. Baekhyun knees him under the table.

_ Do it _ , Baekhyun stares..

_ No _ , Kyungsoo blinks twice.

_ If you won’t, then I will _ .

Kyungsoo sighs out of frustration and leaves it up to fate as Baekhyun introduces himself, offering his hand to shake. Kyungsoo’s ready to attack, fists bawled under the table, should Baekhyun say anything. Though, he doesn’t. Instead, he grips Kyungsoo’s shoulder, gives a squeeze that says  _ Do it, bitch _ , and bids them farewell. If Jongin could see Kyungsoo sweating, he doesn’t say anything.

“Who’s that?” Jongin asks

“Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo had answered tonelessly, for all of his energy had been focused on trying to furiously scrub the idea of asking Jongin out on an actual date. And because of it, it was auto-pilot that had led him to other those nine dreaded words without realizing it.

Now, as he sits in the passenger seat of Jongin’s car for the third time this week, he can’t help but panic. Sure, this is for the plan, but  _ a date? _ Pretending to be interested in someone in an everyday, public environment is one thing, but having to pretend to be interested with the explicit context of it being romantic is another.

Oh, Eros. Oh, Amor. Oh, Cupid.

_ Just be normal. Just act normal. _

Kyungsoo could do normal. He reminds himself that it hadn’t taken much effort to socialize with Jongin throughout the entire week, so being a little  _ more _ flirty wouldn’t be much of a difference. It’s with this wishful thinking, albeit admittedly simple, that gives him the strength to calm himself down. With a deep breath, he regains control. He can do this shit! He can… he really can…

“You’re unusually quiet,” Jongin says, eyes darting away—back to the road where they should’ve already been!—” when Kyungsoo glances at him. “Even for your three alter-egos, I mean. Or is this the fourth one?”

Kyungsoo doesn’t comment on the joke. Turns out he doesn’t have as much control over the situation as he thought. 

“Oh, just spacing out.” He says, rather lamely for his own tastes. The radio plays softly between them. Kyungsoo can’t recognize the song.

“About?”

_ You. This date. This plan. _

Kyungsoo settles for a mix of honesty. “Truthfully… I’m a bit nervous. It’s been a while since I’ve done this type of thing.” Kyungsoo could sense the impending correction and smirk combo coming and adds, “Hung out, I mean. Obviously _. _ ”

“How long?”

Kyungsoo takes a moment. He’s twenty-three now… sixteen then… so that calculates to…

Geez. “Seven years?”

Jongin glances at him. “Wow. That’s a—” He pauses, regathering his words. “Didn’t expect that from you.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t want to know what that means and he doesn’t want to know so he doesn’t ask. “Jaded Cupid, remember?” He offers in mock-explanation. Those were Jongin’s words the day they had met.

Jongin doesn’t respond, and Kyungsoo watches his fingers drum on the wheel. Kyungsoo thinks they’ll sit in silence for the rest of the ride, but Jongin (not-so-surprisingly, the budding chatterbox he is) speaks again. 

“So, where were you yesterday?”

Kyungsoo blinks. “Where was I?”  _ Where was I—Oh.  _

_ Oooh _ .

Kyungsoo side-eyes Jongin, taking in the sudden stiffness of his posture.

“Why?” Kyungsoo asks innocently, hiding a smile _. _

“No reason.”

“ _ Right, _ ” Kyungsoo says, mimicking a certain someone from earlier.

“Just making small talk,” Jongin insists.

“Okay.”

Jongin sighs. “Annoying-soo is back.”

“You lo—like it.”

Kyungsoo catches himself, unable to say that dreadful l-word, even in a platonic complex. He shudders at the thought of having to potentially say it for his plan. Hopefully it never gets that far. Hopefully, Jongin falls fast and hard. Hopefully, this ends quickly.

###  **♥**

Kyungsoo takes Jongin — or rather Jongin, being the one with the car, takes Kyungsoo — to a private country club on the upper side of town. His parents are both longtime members and through extension, that includes Kyungsoo. There’s two areas for archery; the indoor facility and the field out back. On a day like this, with everyone no doubt wanting to enjoy the weather, Kyungsoo chooses to shoot indoors. 

“I’ve never been on this side of town before,” Jongin says, taking in the country club’s posh interior. “Pretty.”

“Yeah, the design is nice, I guess,” Kyungsoo says, as they cross under a behemoth-sized chandelier.

“I was talking about you.”

Kyungsoo stops, straight-faced. “That was so corny.” 

Jongin’s laugh follows him into the locker room, echoing in a way that reveals they’re alone. On the bench are two sets of pristine white athleticwear folded up in triangles. “I had them set us some stuff. You wear large right?” 

Jongin eyes them wearily as they unfold perfectly. “Do we have to wear these?”

“It’s a country club,” Kyungsoo says as if that explains everything. “We can’t go out there in civilian clothes.

Kyungsoo turns and pulls off his shirt, tossing it in a locker before working on his shorts. He looks over his shoulder and catches Jongin staring—not that he was hiding it. Kyungsoo holds off on smiling, reminding himself to celebrate the first tactic of his plan later on.

“Don’t tell me you’re shy,” Kyungsoo teases, “I’ve already seen everything.”

Jongin licks his lips. “I’m not.” He stares a moment longer before he snaps out of his trance. “I’m not.”

Kyungsoo watches him undress from the bench. He really charmed his pictures for no reason.

“Like what you see?” Jongin asks, smirking. He flexes his arms, then sucks in his stomach. Kyungsoo lifts his shirt and does the same, though there isn’t much difference. They both laugh.

“Come on, Herc—Let’s see if those muscles are good for something.”

“You should already know,” Jongin says, grinning. He pinches Kyungsoo’s sides on the way out.

Although it isn’t verbally acknowledged, the first few rounds are strictly intended to give themselves the opportunity to warm up. They spend about thirty minutes alternating, just enough time to shake the embarrassment from their rusty arms and oil the can labeled ‘ _ competitive shit-talking _ ’.

“Let’s make a bet,” Jongin suggests.

“I don’t know,” Kyungsoo says, putting on a front. “Do we have to?”

“Come on, it’ll be fun.” Jongin does a little dance and juts out his bottom lip, countering Kyungsoo’s fake petulance with puppy dog eyes.

Kyungsoo relents.

“Here are the rules. One game. Three shots. Highest score wins,” Jongin says. “The loser has to do whatever the winner wants—one  _ wish _ .”

“Simple, but okay.”

Jongin grabs his bow and waves it. “No complaining when I win.”

Kyungsoo scoffs.  _ Yeah, we’ll see _ .

Jongin shoots first.




_ 9. _

“Twenty-six.” Jongin smirks. “Not bad, huh?” 

Without a word, Kyungsoo takes his position and adopts his stance. He breathes deep, then fires.

_ 6. _

Jongin laughs. “Welp, you gave it your—”.

_ 10. _

_ 10. _

Jongin has to pick up his jaw.

“Looks like we’re tied,” Kyungsoo observes, calmly.

“You weren’t shooting like that before.”

Kyungsoo shrugs. “That was just practice, right?”

“We need a tiebreaker,” Jongin says, grabbing his bow. “One more shot decides it.”

“Fine with me.”

Jongin takes his time with this shot — and shoots a  _ 10 _ . He punches the air. “Top that!”

Kyungsoo chuckles softly. Did Jongin think his two  _ 10s _ were pure luck. Intentional poor practice aside, Kyungsoo could shoot a bullseye with his eyes closed, though he would save that flex for another day.

He sees the center of the target as clear as day, but when he relaxes his finger, the arrow flies over the target's edge.

_ 0. _

“Kyungsoo? That is you, isn’t it?”

Kyungsoo had shot too early. He should’ve turned and aimed it straight at the devil himself.

Jongin intercepts the guy walking towards him. Thanks to his height and build shielding him, Kyungsoo is able to compose himself.

“Hey, who are you? You messed up his concentration,” Jongin says.  _ He  _ had messed up a lot more than that.

“Me? I’m—” the newcomer pauses, and Kyungsoo’s mind fills in the blank — 

_ The reason why Kyungsoo’s jaded. _

_ The reason why Kyungsoo’s hasn’t dated in years. _

— “Kim Minseok.”

_ Doh Kyungsoo’s first and last boyfriend. _

###  **♥**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) it's always nice to be reminded that there are ppl who look forward to your work, regardless of whatever opinion you may have towards it haha, so thanks for your support, y'all, really appreciate it! <3
> 
> hope everyone is doing well and staying strong during these harrowing, uncertain, strange times ahaha! will be streaming self portrait for good health! let's love! 
> 
> p.s. i hope there aren't too many errors, i got tired of editing loool


	4. Mama Bear makes it too personal.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clearly, Jongin likes him enough to introduce him to his parents. That’s what he wants, isn’t it? For Jongin to like him, so he could break his heart? It is. 
> 
> It is, Kyungsoo tells himself, despite the crippling self-doubt taking root somewhere within his mind. It’s just…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> new year, new me, new updates! hehehe

Kyungsoo leans his head on the window, watching the scenery blur by along with memories of his past as Jongin drives him home. He hasn’t spoken a word since he misfired his last arrow, and out of the corner of his eye, he can see Jongin’s constant glances in his direction.

Kyungsoo knows Jongin wants to ask him those three dreaded words that anyone who isn’t actually okay doesn’t like to hear.

_ “Are you okay?” _

He can hear it laced in the space between Jongin’s words as he rambles about this and that, jumping from one topic to the next without transition. He hears it in the brief pauses Jongin takes after every sentence to gauge Kyungsoo’s reaction. He hears it when Jongin catches himself asking a question and re-words it so that Kyungsoo doesn’t feel obligated to respond.

Jongin isn’t talking about much. He’s just talking to fill the space so that the dark clouds brooding over Kyungsoo’s head can’t. 

Kyungsoo realizes this early on, and he’s grateful.

He’s also ashamed.

Once they arrive in front of Kyungsoo’s apartment complex, Jongin puts the car in park.

Kyungsoo unbuckles his seat belt. “Thank you. For the ride.” 

“My pleasure,” Jongin says, neutrally.

Kyungsoo climbs out and starts for the sidewalk. He stops at the curb and stands there.

Jongin’s car remains idle. 

Kyungsoo turns around and comes up to the window. Jongin rolls it down slowly, his eyebrows raised.

Kyungsoo’s short, so he doesn’t have to lean down much to peer in.

“I’m sorry I ruined our date.”

“Ah, so it  _ was _ a date!” Jongin’s attempt at humor doesn’t have its desired effect, but before Kyungsoo can apologize again, Jongin cuts him off.

“Hey. I look forward to the rematch. Consider today’s bout a practice session. Cupid’s Honor.”

Kyungsoo nods.

“Do you need anything?” Jongin asks.

Kyungsoo feels like there’s a  _ Yes _ buried somewhere within his chest underneath all his emotions, but for now, he shakes his head. “Thanks for everything.”

It’s a loaded statement, and Jongin acknowledges it all with a smirk and a wink. “Call me if you need anything. You have my number now.”

Kyungsoo had intended to watch Jongin pull off from the curb, but Jongin waits until Kyungsoo’s inside before he leaves.

Finally alone, Kyungsoo crawls into his bed and cries himself to sleep.

###  **♥**

The first shock is seeing Kyungsoo’s perfect form. The second is his missed shot. The third is Kyungsoo, stiff with paralysis.

The guy who had spoken is shorter than Jongin, and Jongin takes that as a boost to his ego. He steps in front of Kyungsoo. There’s no way he’s letting this man get close,

“Hey, who are you? You messed up his concentration.” Jongin surprises himself at his own reserve because what comes out is much nicer than what he actually feels. Truthfully, he doesn’t give a rat’s ass who this weasel is. If he can disrupt Kyungsoo’s demeanor so easily, Jongin just wants him gone. 

“Me? I’m—” 

His eyes dart to Kyungsoo, and Jongin takes another step to block his line of sight.  _ You’re talking to me, remember? _

The guy gives Jongin an once over and stands straighter, sizing him up.

“Kim Minseok.”

Jongin senses the undertones of some bigger picture he doesn’t yet grasp by the way the guy announces himself, but if this guy is anything like Jongin expects, then Kyungsoo is the last person he’ll let come near.

“Cool. Like I said,  _ Insok _ , we were in the middle of something. Maybe chat later?”

“ _ Minseok _ —”

“— _ right _ .”

“—and it’ll only take a second. I just want to say, hello. It’s been a long time since we’ve last seen each other.” Minseok walks forward as he says this, but Jongin holds out his arm, pushing at Minseok’s shoulder gently.

“For good reason, I’m sure. But we’re busy, right now. Insok.” Before Minseok can correct him, Jongin corrects himself, a taunting smirk playing on his lips.”My bad, pal.”

Minseok smiles politely and steps back. “My apologies. I was under the impression that Kyungsoo strayed away from suffocating boyfriends.”

“How about I kick your ass? What kind of impression will that give you?”

Insok’s expression darkens. He dips his head to the side to steal a glance, and Jongin blocks his line of sight again. Jongin cracks his knuckles.  _ Test me, again. _

Insok curses Jongin with his eyes, but stands down. “Just wait until he’s done using you,” he warns. “He’ll dump you like he did the others.” 

And before Jongin can lose his cool, he’s already stalked off with the group he’d come

“Weird ass,” Jongin says under his breath. He waits until Insok’s out of sight before he turns around.

Kyungsoo’s still standing in the same spot, but he’s staring at the ground.

“Hey,” Jongin pokes his arm. He thinks for a moment. “I forgot I have to wake up early tomorrow. You mind if we call it?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head and waits for Jongin to collect his things before stalking off back towards the locker room.

###  **♥**

Kyungsoo doesn't know what time it is; he just knows that he’s been lying awake in bed for at least an hour, swallowed up in the darkness. Even the moon, whose rays usually bathed his room in a gentle silver glow at night, was absent, blocked by dark clouds.

His stomach had woken him up, and he had been reminded of why he hadn’t eaten the day before. The date had been cut short. All because Kyungsoo couldn’t get a hold of himself when  _ he  _ appeared. Why? Why  _ had _ he appeared.  _ There  _ of all places?  _ Then _ of all times.

Somebody in The Clouds was laughing at him and his misfortune.

Kyungsoo had ruined everything. Such a good plan it had been, too.

After the archery, Kyungsoo would’ve won and made Jongin pay for their meal. He would’ve flirted some more and scheduled a date for the next outing.

But no, he was tripped and choked up by old memories and apparently, unhealed trauma. How embarrassing. Nobody would want the free bird still afraid of the last cage they were trapped in.

Would things be weird now? Were his plans ruined?

Kyungsoo’s stomach rumbles again, and he reaches for his phone for the first time, squinting at the brightness of the display. 

_ 4:13 AM. Saturday. _

It takes a second for his eyes to register the message from an unknown number.

_ my number. use it whenever for whatever. don’t be shy 😊  _

_ (it’’s Jongin btw) _

Kyungsoo stares at the message for a while before making a proper contact for  _ Kim Jongin. _ After some thought, he deletes ‘Kim’.

Kyungsoo briefly recalls Jongin saying he had to wake up early and wonders if that was the truth or just an excuse to leave the country club.

He types out the five characters and presses send before he can’t second guess himself.

_[KS]_ _u up?_

Kyungsoo clicks the power button and rests his phone on his chest. That was dumb. He shouldn’t have done that. Who in their right mind would be up at — 

**_Bing!_ **

Kyungsoo checks the message quickly.

_[JI]_ _i am now._

Kyungsoo winces. 

_[KS]_ _Oh, sorry, nvm._

After a second, he adds:

_[KS]_ _Idek why i texted u. sorry._

Jongin responds almost immediately. 

_[JI]_ _lol so annoying._

 _[JI]_ _what do you want?_ ’

 _[KS]_ _it’s okay_

 _[KS]_ _sorry i woke u_

Just as Kyungsoo sends that, his phone blairs its obnoxiously loud ringtone in his face. He flinches and drops his phone on his face. It takes him a moment to collect his bearings.  _ Jongin is calling _ . Why?

“...Hello?” He answers tentatively.

“What did you want?” Jongin says, groggy voiced. 

Kyungsoo frowns. He really had woken him. “I said I was sorry, Jongin. I really didn’t mean to wake you.”

Jongin yawns in his ear, and Kyungsoo shudders, disturbed. That had felt way too close. 

“Come on, Soo—please—just tell me.” There’s a lull. “Hello? You still there, Kyungsoo?”

“Y-yeah, I’m here.” Kyungsoo is clutching his chest.

“So? What’s up?”

This was his chance. Kyungsoo takes a deep breath. “I’m hungry.”

“...”

“...”

“Oh,” Jongin clears his throat. There’s noise in the background like he’s scrambling to sit up, but Kyungsoo knows it’s just his imagination. “Do you wanna go get breakfast or something?”

Kyungsoo nods, then remembers Jongin can’t see him. “Yes.”

“Okay.” A pause. “Where from?”

Nothing comes to mind. “Anywhere’s fine.”

“Okay…” Kyungsoo hears a toilet flush, a faucet running. “Alright, then. I guess I’ll be there to pick you up in twenty-thirty minutes?”

“Okay.”

After Kyungsoo hangs up, Jongin texts him, 

_ [JI] dress warm. _

As if Kyungsoo needed telling. He doesn’t bother responding.

###  **♥**

Kyungsoo hadn’t charged his phone last night, and with the time it takes until Jongin arrives, he’s only able to get it up to 52%. He doesn’t know how long they’ll be out, but he hopes it’ll last.

He hopes he looks good, too. He stares hard at himself in the harsh lighting of his bathroom mirror, and in the mirror on his bedroom door, and in the mirror in the living room. The weather would be chilly all day and since the sun was still rising, he dressed practical. Form-fitting jeans, a gray tee, and a dark bomber jacket. Not too flashy. Not too lazy. Perfectly casual.

They were just going for breakfast, but would Jongin see this as another date? Did  _ he  _ see this as another date? Kyungsoo told himself it was just breakfast, but the more he thought about it, the more sense it made to treat this as a date. He was still trying to seduce, Jongin, right?

**_Bing!_ **

_[JI]_ _outside. need me to come up?_

Kyungsoo can’t type ‘ _ No’ _ quick enough. He quickly locks up, lest Jongin really comes up and they never make out to eat.

When Kyungsoo comes out, Jongin is on his phone, leaning against the car. He looks like he’s supposed to be the meal they’re having. Tucked into his root beer-colored pants is his muscle tee, low cut so his arms and the side of torso are left exposed to the wind. Kyungoso can’t tell if he’s overdressed or under-dressed.

“Dress warm?” Kyungsoo calls out, alerting him of his presence.

Jongin looks up from his phone, running his eyes over Kyungsoo before he smirks.

“You listened.”

Jongin’s blocking the passenger’s side and Kyungsoo purses his lips, expectantly. Jongin’s eyes flick towards them.

“Aren’t you going to move?”

Jongin opens the door for him. “You do know the secret code was, ‘Good Morning’, right?” Jongin’s face is still swollen, and his smirk makes him look loopy.  _ This _ is the reason Kyungsoo is laughing when he says, “Morning” back.

“Did you sleep well?” Jongin asks when he pops in the driver’s seat. Kyungsoo sends him the fond version of a glare. Out of respect, of course. “Like a baby, I bet.” Jongin gets his unfunny joke of the morning in, and they’re off.

Any silence between them is comfortable, but it’s also far and few in between. All things considered, Kyungsoo should’ve known, but he’s surprised to find out that Jongin is definitely a morning person. He’s just as talkative — if not, even  _ more _ talkative — in the morning than he is in the afternoons when they usually interacted.

Kyungsoo is still getting used to using his morning voice while the grogginess he’d heard in Jongin’s less than an hour ago is already gone.

“Am I talking too much?” Jongin asks, giving one of those awkward, self-conscious laughs that Kyungsoo isn’t used to, especially considering he’d done all the talking yesterday just fine. He didn’t think Jongin was capable of anything but brooding confidence? Where does this self-consciousness side come from?

“Not  _ too  _ much,” Kyungsoo assures, playfully. “There’s no such thing in my family.” Kyungsoo senses an opportunity to flirt and takes it. “Plus… your voice is easy on the ears. I like listening.”

Jongin glances over for a second before commenting something totally random and unrelated, diving into another tale of his soon after.

Did that work? Or was that too corny? Inwardly, Kyungsoo laughs to himself at his attempt. Boy, since when did flirting get so hard?

Thirty minutes into the drive, as the landscape changes from less manmade things to natural things, Kyungsoo finally asks just where in the hell are they going?

“It’s a surprise.”

Kyungsoo looks at the countryside wearily. Would this be his  _ last  _ surprise?

“We’ll be there soon,” Jongin remarks. “Don’t worry.” The uneasiness of his voice in his own reassurance leaves Kyungsoo with his opposite intended effect.

Did he miss all the signs of Jongin being a crazed serial killer?

“Soon,” comes faster than he’s expected as Jongin pulls up to a country style diner seemingly sprung in the middle of nowhere. Country style diner. Kyungsoo struggles to formulate words.

“This is… where we’re eating?”

“Come on,” Jongin says, smiling uneasy. Kyungsoo skips a little to catch up to Jongin, crinkling his nose at the kicked up dust behind him. He just cleaned his converse. 

Kyungsoo watches Jongin take a deep breath outside the door. Seeing him prepare himself for something is where Kyungsoo draws the line on his tolerance. He grabs Jongin by the wrist just as he reaches for the door. “Are you good?”

Jongin looks startled. “Huh? I’m fine.” He smiles, a  _ little  _ less uneasy, but still not convincing. Just then, the door swings out, almost smacking him in the face. Kyungsoo pulls him out the way and the patron that had been heading out tips their head in courtesy. Before the doors swing closed, Jongin’s eyes lock with the waitress that screams his name. Catching the door before it closes, he hooks his arm around Kyungsoo’s before he could retract it and drags him inside.

“Jongin, who is—” Kyungsoo’s whisper is cut off by another exclamation from the waitress. She heads towards them.

“Nini Bear! You don’t visit us for a whole month, and then you walk in here with this nice lad on your arms, you naughty boy!” She gawks at their arms linked together and gives Kyungsoo a shameless,  _ knowing _ oncever before leaning in. “So, he’s been keeping you busy, eh?” She wiggles her finger at Kyungsoo then opens her arms wide. “Come! Give Mama Bear a hug!”

_ Nini Bear? Mama Bear?  _ Kyungsoo stands in awe as Jongin unlinks their arms and envelops the smaller, plum-shaped woman.

“Hey, Ma, sorry it’s been so long,” Jongin says, sounding a pinch guilty and wholly honest.

_ Ma? _ Kyungsoo swallows.  _ Oh, no. _

Mama Bear releases Jongin and then looks Kyungsoo over again. After a beat, she smiles. “You get in here, too; there’s enough love for everyone!”

Kyungsoo’s hesitance goes unnoticed—or rather, ignored, as he’s pulled into an airtight hug, arms awkwardly trapped to his sides. Mama Bear releases him and squeezes his shoulders, smiling warmly.

“You two boys have a seat anywhere you want, now, and I’ll be right with you,” she says before skipping off to help another customer. 

If Jongin is aware of Kyungsoo’s leer, then he purposely ignores it as he moves to a booth in the middle of the diner, across from the bar and by a window where he could still see his car. He slides into the red seats first, throwing an arm up on the backrest casually. Kyungsoo presses back against the cushion, hoping it would swallow him up. He knows his cheeks must be as red as their seats. No doubt, Jongin notices, but again, he doesn’t say anything. 

Jongin spreads a menu open and runs his finger down the page. “The omelets here are really good.” He hums. “So, are the pancakes. And the sausages. Oh, the oatmeal here is not bad either; there’s different flavors if you want that. What are you thinking of?”

Kyungsoo isn’t thinking about the food. “Cut the crap, Jongin. What are you doing?” is what he wants to say. Instead, he says: “That’s your mom?” 

Jongin glances up, raising an inquisitive brow at the unopened menu in front of Kyungsoo. “Yeah, it is, but I meant what were you thinking of  _ ordering _ ? What do you like? The burritos here are good—”

“Jongin.” The serious tone of it makes Jongin lower his menu and straighten in his seat. With his eyes focused on him suddenly, Kyungsoo almost forgets what he was going to say. “You brought me here to meet your mom?” 

Kyungsoo shouldn’t sound as panicked as he does. After all, this was supposed to be a good thing. Anyone knows that you don’t introduce someone to your parents unless you  _ like  _ them. Clearly, Jongin likes him enough to introduce him to his parents. That’s what he wants, isn’t it? For Jongin to like him, so he could break his heart? It is. 

_ It is _ , Kyungsoo tells himself, despite the crippling self-doubt taking root somewhere within his mind. It’s just…  _ Mama Bear _ makes it too personal. Why couldn’t she be named something like…  _ Mother Bear _ ? At least that sounds scary and territorial, and not at all sincerely and heartwarming. 

It’s hard to stomach a breakfast served by the lady who doesn’t know that he’s going to break her son’s little heart. Sure, he has to consider himself at least a bit cold-hearted to even consider such a thing, but doing so after eating  _ Mama Bear’s _ breakfast is taking it too far. He has  _ some _ semblance of morality. 

Kyungsoo feels like he’s going to be sick.

“No…” Jongin answers carefully, “I brought you here to eat breakfast? It’s a diner… that my parents just happen to own. I haven’t been around for a while because I was busy, and had planned on eating here today anyway,” Jongin explains. A flicker of  _ something _ far too quick for Kyungsoo to read flashes across his face. “Had I known you would freak out, then I would have chosen somewhere else.”

Kyungsoo absolutely  _ hates _ the dejected tone in Jongin’s voice, and he absolutely hates himself for hating it. “No, I’m not freaking out,” Kyungsoo can’t help but say, not wanting to sound pitiful. He is, but not for the reason Jongin suspects. His stomach coils, his appetite slowly vanishing. 

“You’re not?” Jongin asks incredulously, almost sounding  _ annoyed _ . Amor, Kyungsoo hopes he isn’t annoyed with him. 

“No, I’m not,” Kyungsoo insists, mustering as much of his dwindling strength he can to sound reassuring enough. Despite it all, he’s sure Jongin knows who he’s really trying to convince. “I was just… caught off guard, is all,” he adds, relaxing as a believable lie comes to mind. “I would’ve chosen to wear something a little more… a little less scrubby,” he says, glancing down at his outfit.

Jongin snorts and reaches across the table to grab his hand. “Hey, you’re worrying too much. You’re fine; just look at me and what I’m wearing.” 

_ You’re her son. Of course, she doesn’t care what you like. She’s seen you naked! _ Kyungsoo keeps these thoughts to himself.

“I promise, they don’t care how you look, as long as you’re a nice person--which you are.” Kyungsoo swallows, suddenly wishing he had some water for his parched throat. 

“My parents are cool people, Kyungsoo. I wouldn’t put you in a situation that would make you uncomfortable, okay?”

The words are almost comforting… until Kyungsoo thinks,  _ wait a minute. Parents? Who said anything about parents? _ His stomach coils, his appetite slowly vanishing.

“Don’t tell me there’s a  _ Papa Bear _ here, too?”

As if on cue, “Order up!” booms from the wall divider connecting the kitchen. A scruffy bearded man with kind, but tired eyes covered in way too much sweat for five in the morning hands off a plate of steaming grits to Mama Bear. She whispers something to the man, and they both turn in their direction. His expression is blank looking at Kyungsoo, but his face warms when he sees Jongin. He waves, and Jongin who returns it casually.

“Yeah, that’s my Pops,” Jongin says.

Kyungsoo laughs in disbelief. Jongin really… Jongin really has him meeting  _ both _ of his parents out of the blue?! He might as well have been at their house! ‘

If only they knew what he was plotting.

Kyungsoo doesn’t know how he’ll be able to look at either of them in the eye, let alone eat their food. 

Just as Jongin asks why he’s laughing, Mama Bear comes around with four glasses—two orange juices and two waters. 

“Here you boys go,” she says, sweetly. “Now, what can I get for ya handsome boys?”

Kyungsoo looks down at his unopened menu. “Um.”

Jongin speaks for the both of them. “You can just get us both the pancake platter—with bacon. Eggs scrambled.” Jongin collects their menus and hands them off. “Thanks, Ma.”

She winks. “Gotcha! Your orders will be out shortly so just stay put.”

By the time Jongin turns to him, Kyungsoo’s devouring his water. The glass is half empty, which pulls a laugh out of Jongin.

“Woah, thirsty much?” 

When Kyungsoo looks up and realizes Jongin is referring to him, he parts his mouth, the straw resting on his bottom lip as he says, “What?”

Jongin licks his lips. “I want to kiss you right now.”

“Uh…”

“You’re gonna love the food here,” Jongin says, excitedly. He crosses his muscled arms behind his head as he leans back. 

“Can’t wait.” Kyungsoo hopes his response doesn’t sound as weak as he feels.

_ What a mess. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V-DAY IS NEXT MONTH! ADAKSDNLASKND PLZ DEAR LORD GIVE ME THE STRENGTH TO FINISH!
> 
> (P.S. literally i'm always sleep deprived editing this story. sorry for the errors, it was either proof read everything or finish revising to update lol i'll go back and edit later, thanks!!)

**Author's Note:**

> As usual, follow me on twt @thenatureking and lemme know what you think down below! if this is received well, i'll edit more and update faster!
> 
> Also...Happy Valentine's Day!
> 
> (p.s. for my chankai enthusiasts, a spell to break up is looking great!!)


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